TORONTO — Ontario's Liberals have suspended their candidate in Oshawa over an inflammatory social media post.
The suspension for Viresh Bansal comes after several Liberal candidates called on leader Bonnie Crombie to dump him.
Bansal posted a response in 2023 to an NDP statement on the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government had "credible allegations" linking agents of the Indian government to the fatal shooting in B.C.
Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives unearthed the posting.
Bansal wrote an apology after the World Sikh Organization of Canada called on Crombie to withdraw him as the Liberal candidate.
Bahoz Dara, Crombie's campaign spokeswoman, did not elaborate on the suspension.
"You can thank India for cleaning trash people. Ask your gay friend @JustinTrudeau to do the same," Bansal wrote in the 2023 posting.
Bansal apologized on Tuesday.
"I want to sincerely apologize, especially to the Sikh and LGBTQ2S+ communities," he wrote in a social media post. "My words were offensive and wrong, and I take full responsibility for the harm they caused."
Crombie condemned the statements on Tuesday, but didn't drop him.
"He managed to offend two beloved groups in one tweet, and this is completely unacceptable," she said Tuesday. "It is not who I am. I don't stand for this. It is not who the Ontario Liberal Party is."
Vicky Dhillon, a Liberal candidate in Brampton East, called for Bansal's removal on Thursday.
"I have spoken with many Ontarians and residents in Brampton East who are disgusted by Bansal's rhetoric and actions," Dhillon wrote in a statement.
"His apology is simply not enough and does not repair the hurt that he has caused."
Jawad Haroon, the Liberal candidate in Mississauga-Malton, also called for Bansal's removal.
"Since his history of despicable comments has come to light, I have repeatedly heard from residents of Mississauga-Malton who have expressed anger and disgust at his hateful remarks about members of our community," Haroon wrote.
"These are views that I share."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 21, 2025.
The Canadian Press
